Over the last 6 months and almost 4000 nm from Cape Scott to Cape Corrientes, we've learned a great deal about what works for us and what doesn't.
Our navigation systems and resources included:
Vesper Marine Watchmate 850 Class B transponder
Simrad NSE 8 and NSS7 chart plotters (at nav station and on steering pedestal)
Simrad 4G Broadband radar
B&G Hydra 2000 speed, depth, and wind instruments and displays
Simrad AP42/AP24 autopilot
Simrad RC42 rate compass
Garmin 76cx and 78 handheld GPS/Chart plotters
Standard Horizon HX851 handheld VHF with GPS (2 units)
Navionics Gold electronic charts for BC, US West Coast, and Mexico (for Simrad plotters)
Garmin g2 Blue Charts for Canada, US, and Mexico west coast (for Garmin handhelds)
Astra III-B sextant
"Chronometers" (3 rated Casio watches)
Richie Globemaster compass
Blundell Harling Portland Plotter
Weems & Plath parallel rules and dividers
Canadian, US, and Mexican paper charts
NOAA, NGA, Canadian, and British Admiralty pilots, tide tables, light list, radio list
Cruising guides for BC, West Coast US, and West Coast of Mexico
Nautical almanacs for 2014/2015 and HO 249 sight reduction tables Vols 1-3 (Vol 1 is epoch 2015)
Norie's nautical tables
Dutton, Admiralty Manual vol 2, and Bowditch navigation references
The Richie Globemaster steering compass was adjusted in San Diego by Baker Marine and we have a deviation card. It's rarely needed since the compass is +/-1 deg from the magnetic direction and sailboats don't steer that accurately in a sea-way.
The Vesper Marine Watchmate 850 AIS Class B transponder was invaluable for safe navigation with large ships down the coast and smaller vessels during the Ha Ha. AIS data are sent via NMEA0813 sentences and displayed on the Simrad plotters (the system integration was done in San Diego so that we didn't need to go below to view the AIS display). The B&G instrument data was also integrated using NMEA2000. We upgraded the Simrad AP in San Diego to a new AP42 computer and AP24 display along with an existing RC42 rate compass installed with the plotters. Connecting everything for the NMEA signals and radar Ethernet data required adding several NMEA and Ethernet bridges. In the process, the NMEA0813 GPS data was lost to the IC-802 SSB DSC (but IC-604 VHF DSC GPS data still works) and this remains to be fixed along with the NMEA serial to USB converter to connect CPN to the GPS that also needs troubleshooting.
The Vesper AIS was chosen for its low power consumption (450 mw) suitable for offshore use when the other systems are shutdown or in standby mode. When all the navigation instruments and systems are on, the total power draw is about 6 Ah.
As we anticipated, the paper and Navionics electronic charts along with the various navigational publications for BC and the US west coast were excellent (with only a small area just south of Cape Scott on Vancouver Island incompletely surveyed). We carried 27 paper charts for the trip north of Campbell River and the West Coast of Vancouver Island and 46 paper charts for the US west coast and selected harbors. The paper charts were far superior to the electronics charts for planning and general orientation since they show more features. We used all the paper charts extensively.
The charts and data for Mexico were a different story. We had reasonably good data for the west coast of Baja and the major ports, but there was little survey data other than the original surveys from 1870's and 1901 for other areas, especially on the east coast of Baja north of La Paz. While in San Diego, we purchased British Admiralty planning charts that license the latest Mexican data and the Yachtsman Mexico to Panama chart atlas, containing reproductions of the now 25-35 year old NIMA charts as well as a couple of full size reproductions of NIMA charts for the area north of La Paz. While staying in La Paz, we were able to purchase 11 Mexican paper charts through Shelly at La Paz Yachts (400 pesos plus 30 peso shipping per chart). Unfortunately, we didn't have these charts available for our trip north to Puerto Escondido, where they would have been helpful in dealing with the rocky coast and its many navigation hazards. The Mexico cruising guides were always essential as were the NGA and Admiralty tide tables, light lists, and pilots. The most valuable guides for navigation in the Sea of Cortez and west coast of Mexico were the two books by Shawn Breeding and Heather Bansmer from Blue Latitude Press.
We also periodically checked the Navionics chart registration with GPS WGS83 datum using the radar overlay on the plotter. The landform registration was generally very accurate in most locations, but again there were errors for some areas, especially the islands north of La Paz where land aids to navigation were sometimes displaced several hundred yards. We were very cautious and stood well off any hazards whenever possible.
We carry a sextant, "chronometers" (either GPS time or we take the average of three cheap Casio watches that have been rated), and the three volume HO 249 sight reduction tables. During the Baja Ha Ha, we took several sun sights and worked out the line-of-positions.
The Garmin GPS/plotter handhelds are for backup and ditch bag, and were not used.
I use a Portland Plotter to calculate course lines and positions (
Portland Plotter). It's much easier, faster, and less error prone in rough conditions than regular parallel rules.